Noise and spatial resolution characteristics of a clinical computed tomography scanner dedicated to the breast

This work aims at evaluating the spatial resolution and noise in 3D images acquired with a clinical Computed Tomography scanner dedicated to the breast (BCT). The presampled modulation transfer function (MTF) and the noise power spectrum (NPS) are measured. In addition, the capability of the system in showing simulated lesions and microcalcification clusters was assessed via a phantom test. The impact of the selected reconstruction algorithm on MTF, NPS, and simulated lesion visibility was evaluated. The available algorithms are the Standard (Std) and Calcification (Calc) reconstructions, which use an isotropic reconstructed voxel edge of 0.273 mm and the high-resolution (HR) reconstruction algorithm that uses an isotropic reconstructed voxel edge of 0.190 mm. The spatial frequency (expressed in mm-1) at which the MTF curve goes down to 10% (MTF10%) was found to be 1.0 mm-1 for the case of Std reconstruction in radial direction at the chest-wall; this value increases to 1.3 mm-1 and 1.5 mm-1 for the HR and Calc reconstructions, respectively. The distance from the isocenter did not impact the system spatial resolution. As expected, the improvement in the spatial resolution in the Calc and HR reconstruction algorithms is accompanied by an increase in the noise, especially at the higher frequencies, as shown in the 1D NPS. A phantom study showed that both simulated soft lesion with diameter of 1.8 mm and microcalcification cluster with grain diameter of 0.29 mm are visible, no matter what reconstruction algorithm is selected. Microcalcifications with diameter of 0.20 mm and 0.13 mm do not appear to be visible.